Agenda item

Report of the Corporate Director of Children’s Services. To be presented by the Cabinet Member for Children, Schools and Families.

The Cabinet Member for Children, Schools and Families introduced the report.

It was explained that the Council was required to ensure that it provided sufficient services to meet its statutory responsibilities to arrange education for children who could not attend school due to health needs and other reasons. Therefore, pupils who required individual or small group tuition in a non-school environment needed to have suitable educational arrangements in place to meet their needs.

It was stressed by the Cabinet Member that the arrangements for delivering such a service were required to ensure that the service was high quality, delivered positive outcomes for children and young people, and provided value for money for the Council.

RESOLVED:

That Cabinet:

1. In accordance with Contract Standing Order 2.01(b) (approval to proceed with a procurement in excess of £500k), 7.01 (establishment of a framework), and Section 49 of the Procurement Act 2023, approved the establishment of an open framework for tuition services for a period of eight years.
   
   
2. Delegated the award of the suppliers onto the Framework to the Chief Procurement Officer.

Reasons for Decision

Commissioning this provision via the recommended procurement approach of an open framework in line with the Procurement Act  2023 supported and enabled the delivery of high-quality, value-for-money tuition services. This ensured that children and young people who could not attend school and required tuition support were able to access education.

Through this mechanism, quality and price were standardised. Providers were required to meet minimum quality standards and adhere to competitive pricing mechanisms and specified quality assurance measures, thereby ensuring compliance with the Procurement Act 2023.

The procurement of an open framework was considered the most suitable and efficient route to market. It offered the Council the potential to swiftly access a range of providers, more effectively than alternative procurement approaches. Providers were able to apply to join the framework periodically throughout its duration, ensuring that competition and choice remained present to meet the varied educational needs of children and young people.

Opportunities to secure efficiencies, high-quality services, and cost savings were enabled through this procurement route, including improved tracking of usage and expenditure and increased market competition.

Procuring the proposed option offered the opportunity to secure efficiencies that aligned with the aims and objectives of the Safety Valve agreement.

Allowing other public sector organisations to access the framework made it more attractive to suppliers, leveraged collaborative purchasing power, and promoted efficiency across the public sector with minimal additional effort.

Under the Procurement Act 2023, the Council had the flexibility to establish an open framework that allowed for direct awards, mini competitions, block contracts, pilot operations, and negotiated fees following competition. This ensured the Council achieved best value while maintaining required quality standards.

Alternative Options Considered

Option 2: Extend and increase the capacity of Haringey Tuition in the Community Service.

The Haringey Tuition in the Community Service continued to provide education in small group settings for pupils, mainly aged 11–16. The commissioning of the open framework did not affect the continuation of this service, which remained operational in its existing form.

Although expansion of this provision was explored, it was not recommended. The service was not Education Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) funded for post-16 education, which limited its alignment with responsibilities under the Children and Families Act, including for A-level and vocational course support.

The service would have required a broader subject specialist teaching team beyond the current core staff. A proposal was explored with internal stakeholders but was not deemed suitable to meet the requirement.

Option 3: A hybrid in-house and commissioned model.

A hybrid model involving both directly employed Council staff and commissioned providers was considered but not recommended. The necessary infrastructure, supervision, and support for this model were not deemed viable within current structures, and the resulting service was not considered sufficiently dynamic or flexible to meet the wide range of pupil needs.

Option 4: Do nothing, continue with existing arrangements.

Continuing with the current spot purchase arrangements was not recommended, as they were high cost overall and the value for money was variable.